msmp5
Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2010
- Messages
- 318
I'd like seek the collective wisdom and opinions of y'all, so here goes.......
I have five lever action .44 mag rifles, all 20" bbls, all in the same relative VG-EXC condition, all have been sitting in my safe for well over 25 years. I probably last shot them when George H. W. Bush Sr. was President, so I can no longer remember how they "shot". I am taking them to the range next week, but before I do so, I'd like to know which two (or maybe 3), in the opinion of You Experts, that I should keep (assuming they all shoot equally well), and why. (Because I will likely sell 2 or 3 of them.) Here they are:
Browning-92 (Miroku/Japan) .44 mag ser # 08698PZxxx
Winchester Ranger marked .44 mag ser # 5401xxx
Rossi .44 mag marked made in Brazil (but no import markings that I could see), has a saddle ring, ser # M0015xx
Marlin Model 1894, marked .44 mag micro-groove bbl, ser # 19118xxx
Marlin Model 1894S, marked .44 mag or .44 spl ser # 11083xxx
(This is the only one marked both .44 mag and .44 spl)
What's the pros and cons on these? Which two or three of these would YOU keep, assuming similar accuracy?
Is there any significance to the Marlin Model 1894S that is marked both .44 mag and .44 spl? Does this one "handle" or feed the .44 spl better than the others that are not marked .44 spl? I rarely shoot .44 mag, even in my handguns chambered for it, so the ability to have a lever action rifle that shoots .44 spl well and accurately would be an advantage. Would the other Marlin, the Rossi, the Browning, and the Winchester all handle the .44 spl as well as the .44 mag equally well?
Also, if anyone can give me an idea of the manufacture dates on them, that'd be great. I found one source for the Marlins, says subtract the 1st two digits from 100 and that is the year of manufacture. If so, then the 1894 was mfg in 1981 and the 1894S in 1989. Can anyone confirm this is accurate? Can't find the Winchester Ranger or the Rossi or the Browning (Miroku) date of manufacture info though.
Thanks for any help, info, or opinions!
I have five lever action .44 mag rifles, all 20" bbls, all in the same relative VG-EXC condition, all have been sitting in my safe for well over 25 years. I probably last shot them when George H. W. Bush Sr. was President, so I can no longer remember how they "shot". I am taking them to the range next week, but before I do so, I'd like to know which two (or maybe 3), in the opinion of You Experts, that I should keep (assuming they all shoot equally well), and why. (Because I will likely sell 2 or 3 of them.) Here they are:
Browning-92 (Miroku/Japan) .44 mag ser # 08698PZxxx
Winchester Ranger marked .44 mag ser # 5401xxx
Rossi .44 mag marked made in Brazil (but no import markings that I could see), has a saddle ring, ser # M0015xx
Marlin Model 1894, marked .44 mag micro-groove bbl, ser # 19118xxx
Marlin Model 1894S, marked .44 mag or .44 spl ser # 11083xxx
(This is the only one marked both .44 mag and .44 spl)
What's the pros and cons on these? Which two or three of these would YOU keep, assuming similar accuracy?
Is there any significance to the Marlin Model 1894S that is marked both .44 mag and .44 spl? Does this one "handle" or feed the .44 spl better than the others that are not marked .44 spl? I rarely shoot .44 mag, even in my handguns chambered for it, so the ability to have a lever action rifle that shoots .44 spl well and accurately would be an advantage. Would the other Marlin, the Rossi, the Browning, and the Winchester all handle the .44 spl as well as the .44 mag equally well?
Also, if anyone can give me an idea of the manufacture dates on them, that'd be great. I found one source for the Marlins, says subtract the 1st two digits from 100 and that is the year of manufacture. If so, then the 1894 was mfg in 1981 and the 1894S in 1989. Can anyone confirm this is accurate? Can't find the Winchester Ranger or the Rossi or the Browning (Miroku) date of manufacture info though.
Thanks for any help, info, or opinions!
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